Mobilizing Community Participation in Oil Policy Development

Traditional rulers, community representatives, youth and women leaders play important roles as spokespersons and advocates of environmental justice and sustainable development in the Niger Delta region generally, especially in oil producing communities. Helping them to understand how Nigeria‟s latest oil sector reform bill, the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), responds to their environmental concerns and socio-economic priorities is a necessary step towards empowering communities and mobilizing the participation of local voices and actors in policy processes that bear direct impact on their wellbeing and livelihood. For this reason, Spaces for Change (S4C) and the PIB Advocacy Working Group (WG) embarked on an advocacy tour of the Niger Delta region, consulting extensively with local leaders and sensitizing communities across 5 major states in the Niger Delta: Edo, Delta, Rivers, Bayelsa and Cross River states. 

We are proud to present a synthesis report of the field missions to oil producing communities in the Niger-Delta undertaken by Spaces for Change and the PIB Advocacy Working Group (the advocacy team) during the period of February – July 2013. 

PIB: NORTHERN GOVERNORS OPPOSE HOST COMMUNITY FUND

At the public hearing on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) held last Thursday, July 17, 2013, the Governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu, represented by the Attorney General of Niger State and his Kaduna State counterpart also represented by the state’s Commissioner for Justice urged the National Assembly to expunge the Host Community Fund from the current draft of the bill before the National Assembly. Topping the Niger State’s list of concerns are the powers of the minister, the Host Community Fund and the governance structure of the three commercial entities – the National Oil Company, the National Gas Company and the National Petroleum Asset Management Company - proposed to replace the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

PIB FISCAL TERMS ARE THE HARSHEST IN THE WORLD – IOCs

Senate Joint Committee Public Hearing on the PIB

By Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri

“The fiscal terms in the current draft of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) are not only the "harshest", but the "most uncompetitive in the world”, oil and gas operators in Nigeria have said. At the senate joint committee-led public hearing on the PIB held last Thursday in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), representatives of the oil majors, including indigenous oil companies advanced an array of reasons for their mounting opposition to the Bill.

Under the platform of the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS) which represents about 18 international and indigenous oil companies in Nigeria, both foreign and local operators are ostensibly united in their sharp criticism of the proposed oil regime.  The OPTS representative told the Nigerian parliament that the body (OPTS) supports the Bill’s objectives to create a conducive business environment for petroleum operations; and to enhance exploration and exploitation of petroleum resources in Nigeria. However, the Bill as currently drafted will not deliver these objectives. As more and more countries are opening their boundaries for exploration and production, what Nigeria needs is an investment friendly and business conducive environment. Given the scale and magnitude of reforms, Nigeria cannot afford to get things wrong.

PIB: MINISTER'S POWERS NOT TOO MUCH - DIEZANI ALLISON MADUEKE

“The powers vested on the Petroleum Minister under the Petroleum Industry Bill  (PIB) are not excessive”, says  Nigeria’s Petroleum Minister, Diezani Allisson Madueke. She made this statement at the Senate Joint Committee public hearing on the PIB held last Thursday at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, Nigeria. Consistent with its mandate to promote oil sector transparency in Nigeria, Spaces for Change attended the public hearing where it submitted two separate memoranda on the bill, and addressed the Nigerian parliament, flagging and proffering a set of recommendations for strengthening specific provisions in the Bill requiring further legislative scrutiny and amendment.  

PIB: CSOs DEVELOP JOINT AGENDA

Four standing Senate Committees on Petroleum Resources comprising (Upstream and Downstream), Gas and Judiciary and Human Rights have scheduled public hearing on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB)   on Thursday and Friday July, 18 & 19, 2013 respectively. Private energy experts and civil society groups in Nigeria working on environmental, community participation, conflict and security issues related to natural resources came together on July 16, 2013 in Lagos to jointly identify key provisions of the oil reform bill requiring further legislative scrutiny and amendment.  After reviewing several analytical papers and oil sector reform projects undertaken by independent experts and organizations, participants proffered a set of recommendations contained in a jointly prepared memorandum of understanding that will be submitted to the Senate Committee at the public hearing. 

ENGAGING OIL PRODUCING COMMUNITIES ON THE PIB (CALABAR PHOTOS)

Traditional leaders, youth and women leaders play important role as spokepersons in the Niger Delta region generally, especially in oil producing communities. Their voices are important in the discussions and advocacy on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), hence the need to meet with them and apprise them with the key issues and provisions of the Bill that could potentially impact on their wellbeing and livelihoods. For this reason, Spaces for Change (S4C) and members of the PIB Advocacy Working Group convened series of community sensitization workshops, group discussions and policy dialogues with the target groups across oil producing communities within the 6 major states in the Niger Delta: Edo (Delta State); Port Harcourt (Rivers state), Warri (Delta state), Yenagoa (Bayelsa state), and Calabar (Cross River state).

JUSTICE NOW!!! FOR VICTIMS OF YOBE SCHOOL MASSACRE

Spaces for Youth Development and Social Change (SPACES FOR CHANGE) condemns in very strong terms, the gruesome killing of 29 pupils and a teacher at a school in Mamudo town, Yobe State, allegedly perpetrated by an Islamic terror group popularly known as Boko Haram. According to news reports today, the death toll has risen to 45! Spaces for Change considers the latest incident as a monumental threat to national peace and security, and more so, a gross and systematic violation of the right to life which has disproportionately targeted harmless young people for several months. Not only that, we are deeply saddened that these escalating attacks are happening at a time the Federal Government has declared a state of emergency in Yobe and other states in North East Nigeria.  

PIB: Can Oil Producing Communities Stop Crude Oil Theft?

By Chika Onuegbu PENGASSAN/NUPENG 

Recently, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources estimated that Nigeria is currently losing some 250,000 barrels of crude per day to oil thieves. Most of these thefts are carried out through the outright sabotage of oil facilities especially the pipelines and the flow stations from where products are taken for sale. Essentially, Nigeria loses between U$6bln to U$12bln per annum. These estimates are just for loss of crude, and does not include losses from refined products, or the value of the equipment and lives lost during numerous blow outs e.g. the Arepo recurrent incidents. 

PIB & HOST COMMUNITIES: REPORT OF CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS

The 2-day conference, Host Communities & the PIB: Opportunities, Challenges and the Way Forward held at Aldgate Hotel, Sani Abacha Road, Port Harcourt, Rivers State on April 23 - 24, 2013 was an outstanding conference bringing together 55 participants from various states in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region, advocates and stakeholders in the oil and gas industry plus 12 speakers and panelists over the two days. 

As the central point of oil production, the Niger Delta region is most gravely affected by oil prospecting and exploration activities in which the traditional means of subsistence, farming and fishing in the creeks, streams and mangroves are adversely affected by constant oil spills, gas flares, blow-outs and leaks, with spiraling effects on health, soil productivity, aquatic life and the environment. The conference therefore aimed to campaign for the improved governance of the environment and to strengthen the structure for community participation in the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), Nigeria’s latest legal regime for reforming its oil sector.